Steve --
I have GRANGER COUNTRY, but not Overton's earlier book on colonization
(just his 1965 BURLINGTON ROUTE, A HISTORY OF THE BURLINGTON LINES), but I
feel safe in saying the two books you mention are very different in nature.
Granger Country is based on a large collection of papers the CB&Q donated
to the Newberry Library in Chicago. It is mainly a book of photos (some
etchings) from the 19th and 20th centuries, showing not so much the
railroad itself but the country (settlements, people, ways of life) through
which the railroad ran. I think it might be an useful book for a modeler
interested in recreating those rural landscapes.
Richard Overton was the main corporate historian of the Burlington and
wrote many books and articles about the company. As I said, I have only
his later, general history of the CB&Q, which is extensive, scholarly, and
fairly dry. I find some of his arguments, particularly about labor
relations and government regulation, a bit tendentious, but the historical
information he presents is (presumably) well researched and accurate; he is
an Authority. For me the most interesting parts of his 1965 book are its
earlier sections (pre-1900), discussing the Burlington's strategies for
planning and building its routes and the great corporate chess games that
were being played out among competing railroad companies during the late
19th century. I suspect this is also the era that's the focus of Overton's
Colonization book, so it may be a somewhat more enjoyable read. But don't
expect the anecdotal style you get in most railfan books.
Sounds to me as though these two books might complement each other well,
particularly if you're interested in agricultural settlement on the High
Plains.
Jonathan
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